West Cork's relationship with the sea is ever-changing, as Bantry Bay embraces cruise tourism to boost business
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BUSINESS in Bantry Bay was boosted considerably this year, by the arrival of 23 cruise ships, 10,000 passengers and 6,000 crew members.
The numbers translate to a record season for Bantry, and an increase of about 150% on the figures for 2023.
The benefits cruise liners bring to local businesses can crudely be measured by calculating that each person who comes ashore spends about €80 on consumables, products and services.
The economic impact might not be visible in a single visit but it comes into context when one considers that the number of visitors, this year, was five times the population of Bantry.
Michael Murphy, the assistant harbour master at the port of Bantry, recently met with The Southern Star and gave an insight into how Bantry Bay has developed over the years, and he confirmed that 16 liners have already been confirmed for 2025.
Cruise liner tourism is, of course, nothing new – cruise liners have been coming into Glengarriff since the sixties, but this story explains how Bantry has come to be one of premier tourist destinations along the Wild Atlantic Way.
The story has its origins in the Saudi oil crisis and Gulf Oil’s development of a storage facility on Whiddy Island and the formation, in 1977, of Bantry Harbour Commissioners.
Before the harbour commissioners were set up, Bantry benefited from the jobs at the oil terminal, and an intensive building programme to house workers.
But there was a two-year period when no actual money was being made on harbour or tonnage dues.
However, once the harbour commissioners board was established, they facilitated Gulf Oil bringing in a massive amount of oil tankers to the terminal.
It was the government that decided to disband all harbour commissioners so ports like Youghal, Galway and Waterford, for example, came under the jurisdiction of local authorities.
Because the oil business in Bantry Bay was of national interest, it was decided that the Port of Cork would be a better fit for Bantry because they already had a harbour master, the knowledge and expertise.
In 2014, the Bantry Bay Port Company was formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Port of Cork Company, and with the handover Bantry – like the other ports – received funding to improve its infrastructure.
The €3.3m wasn’t spent immediately. A lot of research and planning went into ascertaining what would best serve the long-term future of Bantry.
Bantry Bay Port Company used the €3.3m to raise a 20-year loan of €9m. The company’s driving consideration was to provide the town with a good return on its investment.
Some of the money was used to dredge the inner harbour. Even the dredged materials were put to good use to create a large amenity area of reclaimed land at the mouth of the harbour.
Of course, the vast majority of the €9m loan – which is on track to be repaid by 2037 – was used to create a marina, a new car park and bays for camper vans, including all of the amenities they might require.
This was made possible by raising and widening the pier and creating berths for 35 boats, which are in use right throughout the year. Of course, the demand in summer time tends to exceed that but all comers are facilitated in a judicious manner.
The way Michael Murphy explains it, it all seems rather ingenious because the Bantry Bay Port Company does not get grant funding, indeed any funding, from any outside source. The company is self-run and has to balance its books and service its own loan.
Michael Murphy, Assistant Harbour Master with Bantry Bay Port Company pictured to mark the first cruise ship of the season at Bantry Bay Port. With a crew and passenger capacity of just over 1,500, the Spirit of Discovery is one the largest liners that can be accommodated in Bantry Bay and was the first of 22 liners due to visit in 2024. The arrival of over 15,000 cruise ship passengers and crew in 2024 boosted trade and tourism in the local area. (Photo:Michael O'Sullivan /OSM PHOTO)
In the past, Bantry harbour commissioners used to come under the jurisdiction of the department of transport and could, from time to time, avail of funding for different projects.
That background explains why Bantry – which did not have an urban district court, or town council, like Skibbereen and Clonakilty, but did have a town commissioners, which was not eligible to collect rates or development charges – benefited from significant investment over the years.
Michael explained the company’s development and diversification across three main sectors.
There was a time when the company was dealing with 30 oil tankers a year, but that number has slipped to about 10 per annum.
Today, that figure accounts for about 30% of the company’s businesses. Another 30% of the company’s income comes from cruise liners.
A further 35% comes from the town’s very busy, very efficient, marina and camper van site. And to all of this one must add a 5% income from fishing and aquaculture.
Clearly, the cruise liner side of the business has grown massively. ‘That’s how we had to progress: we became more orientated towards pleasure craft with the marina and cruise liner businesses making up for the fall off from oil tanker traffic.'
Michael, who is from Lowertown in Schull, had previous successful careers as a skipper at the peak of Ireland’s fishing industry, as well as breaking new ground working on international wind farm projects.
He knows that the Bantry Bay Port Company's business is not completely independent in that it relies on the support and goodwill of Cork County Council, Bantry Development and Tourism Association, and Bantry Business Association.
All of these organisations help in practical ways, such as producing leaflets highlighting local attractions and making them welcome at the tourist office in Wolfe Tone Square.
The fact that Bantry and the Port of Cork own everything on the marina pier, as well as the amenity at the mouth of the bay and the Abbey slipway, puts the company in a solid position.
By running these amenities, and providing an obligatory pilot boat to guide cruise liners closer to shore, they are, in effect, ensuring quality control.
‘Part of my duties include the safe navigation of all shipping into the bay but I also have to oversee the safe and efficient use of the marina’s facilities,’ said Michael.
Bantry Bay is the largest long marine inlet in the south-west of Ireland. It is, in fact, 35km long, running in a south-west to north-easterly direction and it requires local knowledge and expertise to navigate large cruise ships.
‘We are not an alongside facility, so the cruise liners come in, we go to anchor, and the passengers are taken by tender from the vessel to the purpose-built floating pontoon,' said the assistant harbour master.
‘The cruise liner passengers are collected by buses, arranged by Excursions Ireland, and brought to places of interest.’
Michael said some people think that the cruise liners don’t bring a cash injection but he says that is not the case.
As the pilot, who goes on board, to assist with the liners navigating the channel in Bantry Bay, he can attest that some of them are five, six and seven-star vessels, and could cost between €2,000 and €3,000 a day, with most trips being a seven-day cruise experience.
The liners come during the summer season from Southampton and visit Waterford, Cork, Kinsale, Bantry, Dingle, Galway, Killybegs and Belfast.
Then, they will go across to Scotland and then come down the east coast of England then. They do a couple of ports on the east coast and back to Southampton.
‘Most of the cruise liner passengers stay around Bantry,’ said Michael. ‘It’s our experience that a lot of businesses come back to us and the Port of Cork to praise us and Cork County Council for the contribution they are making to the local economy.’
He explained how the marina works saying people can walk up to the harbour master’s office in Wolfe Tone Square to make their payment, but they also have the option of using a machine on the quay to pay.
‘I regulate where the vessels go. In the summertime, the numbers could be crazy busy. This year, for example, we had the Royal Yacht Squadron from the UK, which meant we had about 50 boats on the marina,’ he said.
‘We were able to accommodate them all. Part of my job is telling them where to go, and we have lots of information signs for the toilet facilities, where to go for a shower, where to get water and power cards.
The Bantry office is very hi-tech. Multiple screens offer Michael and Paula a full overview of what is happening at the marina and the camper van bays.
The operation of the marina partially relies on a kind of honour system, with yacht or camper van owners using the various machines to pay their nightly rates, or to purchase shower tokens.
‘Everything is set up for self-service, but they can call us on Channel 14, or ring the work number, and we will give them instructions on where to park.
‘It’s a lot of work but it contributes to the running of the port day-to-day. It helps to service the loan and cover the wages. That’s the reality of the situation.’
Another aspect of the business is that it pays the annual salary of Michael, who is the assistant to Paul O’Regan in the Port of Cork, and Paula O’Sullivan, who is an administration assistant based in the Bantry office.
Michael said another one of the duties of the Bantry Bay Port Company’s duties is to look after the environment. One of the ways it does this is by using hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) to operate its pilot boat, as well as organising three shoreline cleans each year.
Tourism, according to Michael, is ‘king’ when you come west of Bandon and everyone in the locality works well together to promote West Cork, a great destination with lots to offer.
Technically, Michael admits: ‘There’s nothing new in the business. Cruise liners have been coming into Glengarriff since the sixties. But they came in small numbers – maybe six or so cruise liners.
‘With the help of the Port of Cork, and their links to the cruise liner industry, we have grown that number to today’s numbers, which is very welcome. It is good for the local economy. It is very good for the community and all the businesses here.
Conor Mowlds, chairperson of Cruise Ireland and chief commercial officer at the Port of Cork Company concurs with Michael's assessment.
He said the company is delighted to have such a terrific season in Bantry Bay.
‘I’d like to extend a special thanks to all our partners, local businesses, and the people of Bantry for their continued support and warm hospitality throughout the season,' he said.
‘We look forward to strengthening our offerings for 2025, ensuring Bantry Bay remains a must-visit destination for cruise passengers.’
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How Bantry Bay is bringing cruise tourism to West Cork is the latest in The Southern Star's digital-only series, The Big Story.
Each part of this series brings readers closer to the stories that matter. The Big Story is only available to Southern Star subscribers.
Written by Jackie Keogh.
